Free Ignite (Circle of Light Book 2) by April Margeson

way, wanted to be disrespectful to any of them.
    They didn’t resemble the make-believe pictures I had always seen of them in books and movies.  Like the werewolves, they looked as normal as any other person you might pass on the street.
    Although they were unspeakably gorgeous, they had a mysterious appearance to them as well.  Their hair was perfectly styled and healthy.  Not a single stray hair could be found and trust me, I looked.  Hard.
    They each had perfect features along with the most appealing attitudes any one person could imagine.  It was easy to converse with them.  Very pleasant and calming.
    Eric was off in another room speaking with someone that I couldn’t tell what their nature was.  That worried me a little, but Eric’s thought pattern flowed easily and lacked any sign of distress or any other emotion.  He was completely calm.
    My curiosity about his companion soon took over and I excused myself from the room.  I turned the corner and entered the kitchen, stopping instantly by what I was seeing.  A dark cloaked figure stood directly in front of Eric.  They were talking low and I couldn’t make out the words at all.  The stranger gave me an eerie feeling.  My instincts were telling me to grab Eric and run, but there had to be a perfectly good explanation for why he was talking to someone so…dark.
    That was it!  I think the stranger was a member of the Dark Union, or, at least, in affiliation with them.  I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to ruin any chances of us getting inside information on our enemies, so I just backed out of the room and rejoined the other guests in the living room.  The lingering doubt about the dark figure was still tearing at the edges of my mind.
    As I entered, I could tell that several members of the guests were growing uneasy.  Something was going on and they were on to it.  Just being unsure of how to handle it was terrible.  I didn’t like not knowing what to do.
    I quickly found Maggie in the far corner of the room with one of the newer members of the vampires.  They looked deep in discussion about something.  This was not a time for me to intrusive, but I needed her help calming some of the guests down. 
    “Maggie, could I speak with you for just a moment?”  I asked and apologized to both of them for the interruption.
    “Certainly, my Queen.”  She replied.  I took her hand and walked her to the front porch closing the door behind me. 
    She looked at me with anticipation.  I asked that she use her gift to help calm some of the nervous guests and I explained about the cloaked figure with Eric.  She was quick to agree and went back in to begin her task.
    I was thankful to have made friends with her.  She was useful and very obedient, but I enjoyed her company the most.  She had become an important part of my life in a very short time.
    Using the alone time to calm my own worries; I lingered on the porch a moment longer.  It was a good thing that I had.
    Coming down the road, I could see my mother’s car.  In a second of panic, I called to Eric with my mind.  Eric!  My mom is coming.  We need to get these people out of here fast.
    I’m on it.
    I stayed there on the porch so that I could keep Mom out of the house until Eric had gotten everyone on their way.  My nerves went into overdrive and I began to think of different excuses to keep her out here with me if need be.
    Mom pulled into the driveway and parked the car.  I watched as she gathered her things before opening the door.  She smiled at me and motioned for me to come down to the car and as I walked down to her, I could tell that she was excited about something.
    She got out of the car and opened the back door. 
    “Where is Eric?”  She asked looking around. 
    “He’s in the house.  Why?”  I replied confused about the sneaky way she was acting. 
    All my confusion ended when I saw her take my wedding gown out of the back seat.  It was in with a thick clear